The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 39. I touched her.

Chapter 39: 39. I touched her.

But that aside, she could see him, the man whose name she still did not know. And why was he standing there? Why wasn’t he standing behind with the other escorts and guards of the Trago empire?

She could see him staring at her with eyes that were sharper than daggers. Eyes that were filled with disgust. Eyes that dared her to spew one more lie.

She had not expected him to be here. It would have been easier if he was not here. But her mind was made up. Even though he was shooting daggers from his eyes. Who were they going to believe? A mere guard? Or the defiled princess!

"There he is, father! Right there!" She pointed her finger at him and cried.

"Whilst taking a stroll in my garden at night. He had trespassed, and had seen me in my private moment and because I had no guards with me, he had his way with me by force."

Barak could not believe it! He had heard the saying that the sweetest of them was always actually the most bitter of them. But he had never understood that proverb. Not until now. How could she lie so efficiently?

And to think when she just entered his first instinct was to embrace and shield her.

A snake!

How could she bring out all that tears continuously without fail! Now, Queen Erra who had previously looked at him with calmness and love now stared at him like he was covered in all the sins of the world.

And the king, the king’s hand was already upon his sword.

"I tried to fight, but that brute was so big I could do nothing against his strength. Oh, father, he forced himself upon me and has made me unclean. That man over there."

Barak scoffed in disgust, as he thought... oh what mighty power the woman specie holds.

Gerald was red with rage, he drew his sword and as soon as he did, all the guards of Avelah present in the hall stood on guard with their weapons pointed at Barak and the guards of Trago did the same, pointing their weapons at King Gerald to protect their prince.

But Barak instantly signaled them to lower their weapons, and they obeyed.

"King Gerald, wasn’t this supposed to be a peaceful meeting, why have you drawn your sword?" King Bashan finally spoke up.

"A peaceful meeting! A peaceful meeting? Have you not heard what your son has done to my daughter, King Bashan?"

King Bashan? Wasn’t that the name of the current king of Trago Kingdom? Neriah wondered why her father was calling that man King Bashan. Wasn’t he the prince Barak?

And wait, did her father just say that the man she spent the night with was the son of the man he was calling King Bashan. She didn’t understand. Something was awfully wrong.

"Prince Barak! Is this all true?" Gerald turned to Barak again.

Prince Barak? Who was her father calling Prince Barak? Why was her father pointing his sword at that man and calling him prince Barak?

"I respect your father, he is a man of virtue and I have heard of your many praises so I saw you as a befitting partner for my child. So I will expect you to start talking right now or I shall gift your head to your father right now for this dishonor, this injustice that has been done to my poor child!"

Neriah felt like a heavy metal had suddenly been clasped around her neck. It was heavy and she could not breathe properly. The weight was overwhelming because now she was putting everything together.

Her father’s words were sinking deep into her head. She was suddenly remembering her time with him that night. He had told her. That he was the prince Barak. But he couldn’t be. He mustn’t be.

Her entire plan will be in jeopardy if he was indeed the prince Barak! How could he be the prince Barak? No way!! She had planned this believing that no one would want to listen to the words of a mere guard, or a mere soldier. No one would take the word of a servant like him against the cries of a princess.

A beloved princess.

But if he was a prince, then everything changed! Everything becomes different with the position a person holds! No one will cut off the head of a prince without even listening to his side of the story. Not when his father sat right beside him too, like hers was standing for her.

Oh dear goddess, what was she supposed to do! How could he be the prince? Neriah had been faking her trembling since the moment she entered the hall, but right now, the shocking realization was sending jolts of cold into her spine, causing tremors to grip her over and over as cold sweat ran down her entire body.

"Is this true!! Did you touch my daughter without gaining her rightfully!" No! Her father shouldn’t be asking any questions! He only had to go straight to killing the bastard! She had no time to waste. She had a feeling if this man was given the chance to speak, he would tell everything. And Lyle, oh Lyle will be in danger.

She could not allow that.

"Mother! Can you hear father? He still inquires for answers from the one who has wronged me! Father, you can not fathom how painful it was. You do not know what I had to endure. If you understood my predicament, then your sword would have cut through his neck and the rest of them, sent out of our kingdom!" She looked at her mother with eyes blinded by tears, hoping for some pity.

"My Lord, what more do you enquire? Would you stand by even after our precious child has been brutally assaulted!" Erra cried out, hugging her child desperately to her breasts. Neriah smiled inwardly, she knew for something like this, she could count on her Mother’s love.

"My Lord! Off with the head of the man who has dared to touch our precious child." She continued.

"Why are you silently watching? Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" Gerald still questioned.

"Did you dishonor a woman of the Avelah Kingdom by force! Not just any woman but the precious princess Neriah, my own daughter! Did you touch her!!"

"Aye. I touched her." Barak nodded and Gerald’s sword only inched closer to his throat. Once again, the guards of Trago raised their weapons but Barak signaled them to stand down.

"See father!" Neriah screamed. "He admits it. Off with his head, father! This instant. Hesitate no further!" She cried and pointed.

"You insolent bastard! You shall pay with your head!!" Gerald raised his sword in anger, but then Barak said...

"Before my head rolls, as a wise king, I would like you to first listen to both sides before passing on judgment. I admitted to touching her, but I have not admitted to using force." Barak calmly stated and his eyes that were bright gold when he had touched her that night, looked more like dark embers as his gaze shifted to her now.

And all eyes moved with his, and rested upon her.

"If after you hear me and you still believe my head needs to be gifted to my father," he spoke with his eyes still upon her, "then, Your Majesty, I give you my word, my father himself will cut off my head right before you, and there shall be no repercussions whatsoever for it."

Neriah for certain could tell that she was doomed. So she jumped to her feet with fear as she screamed... "Nay! No Father! Do not listen to anything that man has to say. Only lies will proceed from his mouth to deceive you!" She begged.

Erra also stood and held her daughter in her hand. Both of them looking at Gerald waiting for his decision.

Gerald’s gaze shifted from Barak to his family, and then to the king Bashan, and to the musicians and guards. He looked at Neriah again and you could see he was torn between his love and duty as father, and his need to be a just man and king.

"I_" He paused, "shall listen to the prince first." He signaled the guards to put their weapons down.

Neriah fell to the ground devastated. And a smirk grew on the face of Barak. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Barak bowed with respect to Gerald.

"Before I proceed, I would like His Majesty to send for the Royal detector." Barak said and Neriah’s eyes opened wide. She had not thought that far. By the goddess she really had not thought that far, because she never even thought a mere guard would be given audience by her father.

But now, it turns out he was not a mere guard, but the prince Barak she was to marry, now he has been given an audience by her father, and now he asks for the Royal detector!

"Do you mean to say my daughter is a liar?"

"Of course not. I only wish for the Royal detector to affirm that the words I speak shall be the truth and nothing but the truth." Barak humbly said.

There was no reason to refuse him. After all, he wasn’t asking to bring a foreign person, or one of his own people. He was asking for Avelah’s Royal detector, Gerald knew he could not decline this request.

He turned and looked at his daughter, she couldn’t possibly have faked all this, right? "Send for the Royal detector this instant."

And Neriah knew for a fact, she was doomed.

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